Improved mode of connecting the deaught-levee to hobse-powee machines



` n ffice.

HENRY SHAW, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

Letters Patent No. 81,544, da'ted August 25, 1868.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAYV CONCERNz' Y Bc it known that I, HENRY Sniuv, ofthe city of New Orleans, parish of Orleans, and State of Louisiana, have invented a certain new, useful, and improved Mode of Connecting the Draught or ActuatingLeve1s of Horse-Power Machines to the Driving-Wheels thereof; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to thc annexed drawing, making a part of this specification, in which-f` I i Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe driving-wheel of a horse-power with one actuating-lever attached thereto by my method, with the springs that are used-in nconnection therewith hidden by a covering-cap, and v l Figure 2a top v iewof asimilar wheel with a lever attached, but with the covering-caps removed, in order tof exhibit the said springs and their relation to the lever. l

It is well known to all who are called upon to deal with horse-power machines, that in consequence ci thc xed cr unyiclding nature of existing methods of applyingthe actuating or draught-levers to those machines, theanimals that work them, as well as the machines themselves, are subjected to continually-recurring shocks that to a greater or less extent i'njure both. lhe severest shockresulting from this cause probably occurs at the time of starting the machine, but there isa .continual liability to sudden jars during the operation of the machine, from irregularity in feeding it, and other causes that neednot be herein specified, every one o f which tells injuriously upon the animals and the machine. `Moreover, it often happens that when more than one team oi' animals'is employed torw'ork the machine, the levers are violently jerked tirst by one end .then by another of said teams, inlconsequence of the diiliculty of starting them simultaneously, and of the rigidity of the levers, `and that hence annmber of shocks' occur, instead of one, at cach starting of the machine.

`italy the introduction or substitution of` a yielding and vibratory lever in lieu of the ordinary fixed one,'I remedy all these evils; 'that is to say, .I ,relieve the animals and the machine of all liability of jar or shock to Aany considerable or notable degree, and hence, no matter what the number of teams employed, practically overcome the consequences of their not starting together, by relieving those that start iirst suiliciently to induce them to continue their pull .until the others start, and the combined eiort of all puts the machine in operation. Y

To make the levers yielding and vibratory, I pivot them to the driving-wheel of the machine, not very far from `the axisiof the same, and apply two springs, one'upon each side of them, near the perimeter of' the said wheel. My invention, therefore, consists of the combination of ,two reverse springs with a pivoted or articulating lever for operating borse-power machines, but it will more quickly and clearly be understood by rei'erring to the drawing. I v

A is the driving-wheel of a horse-power machine, and B the actuating-lever for operating the same. These two parts may be appliedor used in connectiou,\\'ith any kind of machine, without regard to the particular purpose or work forwhich it is designed or intended to perform, andrhenccI have not deemedit necessary t0 exhibit on the drawing any mach-inc whatever, nor any partbeyond those which constitute my invention, or ae directly associated therewith and necessary to theiroperaton.

Therlever B is pivoted at its innerextremity, by means of a pin, a, to` the driving-wheel A, and, passing through an elongated slot in the perimeter of the said wheel', has a lateral vibration that is coextensive with the length o f the arc vof the perimeter occupied by said slot in the line of the arc ot' Athe perimeter. Of course at its outer extremity the swing of the lev'eifis' proportionately greater, accordingly as the length o'f the lever is extended. Onc-'sixthoi' the circumference of the driving-wheel would always covei' a sufiicicnt space for the vibration ofthe levers at that point to prevent jarring either to the animals or the machine. In most cases a shorter vibration would be enough.

The slot is made by cutting `a recess in the rim of the driving-wheel, and then covering the same with the cap-plates b, which, with the plati: c, subserve the additional purpose of covering up and holding in position the t springs d e.

These springs are placed in an annular groove, g, and may bey maintained in their places by pendent stoppers from the covering capplates or transverse edges across the groove g. The drawing shows Stoppers on the covering cap-plates, the one on l; being shown at z', the one' on c beingl hidden bythe close contact of that plate with b, hut its position is atfon iig. 2. YThe spring nl comes or is so placed as to be in direct contact with the lever on that side of it towards which it moves whenpower is applied to it to start the machine, and hence the tensile force of this'sprng is exerted in the opposite direction. This force of the spring e is also exerted in the same direction, and even more ei'ectvely through the agency ofthe rodhrace t, which brings it into communication with the lever B at a point considerably outside the perimeter of the driving-wheel, as shown. This rod h connects with the-further end of the spring e, and hence, in the vibration ofthe lever B bythe pull of the animals or other power, by man, for example, the compression of the spring develops` the force to bring the lever back to its normal position whenever the strain is taken o by the starting of the machine, whilst at the same time it is the source or cause of the yielding oi the same, which yielding constitutes thc great point of merit in my invention. y

The springs d and e may be of'any character or description that will admit of their easy application to the object I have in view. So also the driving-wheel may be of any form and construction that will allow of the use ofthe springs in connection with a pivoted lever.

The face-plates or caps b c may 'oo extended all around the wheel, and be continuons, instead of being in sec- 4tions or parts, as shown, or they may be entirely dispensed with, and the springs be kept in piace by any other equivalent arrangement.

My invention may he used in connection with any machine that can be operated by man or the4 lower animals, whatever may be the purpose it is designed to accomplish.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The springs cl e, in combination with the lever B, when the latter is pivoted to the driving-wheel A, and

the several parts are arranged, constructed, and eonjointly operated, substantially as herein described, for the purpose set forth.

HENRY SHAW.

Witnesses:

RUrUs R. RHODES, F. H. WIGFALL. 

